Strahan has her on height and weight, but Naqi clobbers him in reach: There's no way that a disgruntled NFL player will win a battle with a reporter asking what all fans would agree was a perfectly reasonable question about how badly his team is fractured due to sucking so badly.

Pujols is a whiner: Albert Pujols thinks that the MVP award should go to a player on a playoff team. It's a criteria that some voters choose to apply, but thank god it's not some sort of binding rule.

Pujols is afflicted with "Michael Jordan MVP Curse" (the idea that one staggeringly amazing player could be the MVP *every* year, but that voters would rather have variety than reflect reality). This won't endear Pujols to voters.

(By the way, LeBron James set a new record last season for earliest application of MJ MVP Curse. He was the best/most valuable player in the NBA, but he's SO good that voters discounted his candidacy.)

T.O. supports Vanderjagt. That should be the next fill-in duo for PTI.

Did the Red Sox sign Japanese lefty RP Hideki Okajima to grease the skids to sign Matsuzaka?

The BCS is OK if the Rose Bowl wants to pair Michigan in a rematch with Notre Dame. It's just the rest of us who will hurl.

I think that voters for the Walter CampAward (for best CFB player...like a very poor man's Heisman) should pick Hawaii QB Colt Brennan simply because that would be awesome.

Re: PujolsHe's wrong, in terms of a debate of Howard vs Pujols (which he wins based on actual value/clutch numbers), but he would have been right if the debate was Berkman vs Pujols. It should be applied if candidates are in the same division. IMO, he does have a right to be mad simply because the criteria used in 2005 was ignored in 2006 (ie, RISP & K's).

I'm with you for Coach and Most Improved, but I've gotta disagree with the other two picks. Smith's had a few nice games but Adam Morrison is already the #1 scoring option on the Bobcats and his teammates are already deferring to him in late-game situations. Howard's a gutsy pick for early MVP but if you just wanna go for a guy who's throwing up 20-10 games for a surprisingly good team, Boozer's got it all over Dwight. I'd still pick LeBron or Carmelo (or even DWade holding together that crapppy Miami team) over either.

I just read that Pujols thing. Come on... it isn't just about leading a team to playoff. It is about leading a team passed expectations. Where would Philly have been without Howard? Maybe Pujols should go back and look at the team records and realize that if Philly and St. Louis were in the same division than St. Louis wouldn't even have made the playoffs. What a whiner.

It will be awful if we get an ND/Michigan rematch. Yeah, people really need to see a rematch of a game that was a 26 point win by the road team. And wasn't even as close as the final score showed.

How can you talk about Lebron getting the MJ MVP and then not pick him as the 1st half MVP? I understand how Pujols can be upset, he has 3 or 4 just sick seasons and he finishes 2nd to Barry Bonds. Now he finishes second to Ryan Howard?? He might already have the most second place finishes of all time in the MVP award.

Didn't the Phillies win more games than the Cardinals? Using the whole "playoff" arguement is a joke when your team only finishes 2 games above .500. Now had the Cardinals won more games then Howard then maybe I could see using playoffs as a deciding factor. This destroys Albert's image as "a good guy" and "a team guy". All he had to do was say "I won the World Series". But instead he whines about not winning an individual award. Yeah, he's not a "me-first" guy. *rolls eyes*

I think at this point, T.O. will do whatever he can to get under Parcell's skin. Tuna hates kickers? TO loves them!

Not sure about Pujols...imo, MVP is the guy that, if he was not on the team, that team would not have done as well as they did. As much as the Cards struggled throughout the season, obviously Pujols' stats didn't do much when up against St. Louis' expectations in the pre-season.

First-time poster.. been reading for awhile... DS - get your facts straight before you bash the Irish at least. There is no rematch.. it will be LSU-UM.. Plus ND is 10 in the BCS so if they finish in the top 10 then they do deserve a BCS bowl since there are 10 spots.. it's not rocket science

Do to league tie ins if Notre Dame gets a BCS game someone who is ranked above them will be left out. The ACC Champ automatically gets in and they are not currently a top 10 team and ND is the weakest top 10 team there is and do we really want to watch them get blown out against a top team again.

This is why the bowl system makes college football an illegitimate sport. Matchups are decided by money, not wins and losses or even rankings. Why should the SEC winner get a loser like ND (#12), when they could prove themselves against Michigan? Doesn't anyone want to know how good the SEC really is?

With regards to the Pujols thing, I'm with Bill Simmons on the MVP's. The only one that REALLY matters, to me at least, is the NBA one.

NFL- Players only play one way (usually). I don't know how you can really say someone is the most valuable when you only play one side of the ball (Of course, Lebron only plays offense, but at least he has to be out there for defense. It's not like Shaun Alexander has to cover a receiver making a double move)

MLB- Your ability to contribute is too limited to chance and your teammates. You really can't get RBI's if no one is on in front of you. HR's can be slightly inflated if the pitcher doesn't want to pitch around you. And, on defense, you can only defend when the ball is hit to you.

Just because ND is in the top 10 doesn't mean they deserve a BCS bowl spot. They are overrated and got destroyed in the only 2 tough games they played this year. Them making a BCS bowl is about one thing and one thing only... money. It's not rocket science.

But in the BCS top 10 we have 3 teams from the big 10 and 3 from the SEC, which means that the 3rd team is ineligible for the BCS (so for eligible teams, right now we're in the "top 8", excluding those 2 inelgible teams).

I do agree though if Rutgers wins the big east that Louisville deserves a spot ahead of ND in the BCS since they will only have 1 loss..

UM-ND isn't happening.. there are already reports that LSU will be in the rose

I know Mike and Mike In the Morning covered this but I thought it should be thrown out there. Strahan comes off as the biggest puss in the world after that tirade yesterday and it has nothing to do with the fact that he chewed out a girl.

He talked about how someone should look you in the eyes when they make stuff up - but guess what, when you say something, be a man and stand up and stand behind it. Strahan clearly called out Burress - the reporter was NOT stirring things up out of nowhere - he was ON THE RECORD as saying it ON THE RADIO.

I have lost all respect for Strahan another one of those supposed "good guys" who was afraid to stand up for what he said and now he has to attack a female reporter.

Strahan wins my A-Hole of the Week Award.

Oh by the way - Jared Dudley vs. Gary Forbes on Saturday night in Amherst will be a great battle. I'm calling it here first.

I had to go dig up the BCS rules...As long as ND's in the top 14 (and wins 9 games, which it has), then it's eligible to be picked. They ALWAYS will get picked if they're eligible. And although they could conceivably drop a spot or two after this weekend, they sure as heck aren't dropping to 15.

Because the Big Ten and Pac 10 champs are destined to the BCS championship game, the Rose Bowl could conceivably pick any 2 at-large teams, not even Michigan. But of course they'd take Michigan, but I don't think they're *required* to. The Rose Bowl has been so Big10/Pac10 exclusive for decades now, but I think they'd jump at the chance to bring ND back for the first time since 1925 (yeah, I looked that up, too).

And for the love of God, can they please re-name the MVP award to simply be the player of the year, so that the team's finish objectively has no impact on the voting? Why should Albert Pujols even be rewarded because St. Louis isn't anywhere near New York, so that his team didn't finish 10 games out? Would that have made him less valuable?

The BCS is OK if the Rose Bowl wants to pair Michigan in a rematch with Notre Dame.

Me too! Come on, Dan, are you that confident that UF is going to beat Arkansas this weekend? Or do you already have tickets to the Citrus Bowl? I would really like to go to a BCS Bowl this year, and I'm already stressed enough about school to put all my eggs in the SEC Championship basket.

You say Cowher dosen't want the State job like it was a no brainer. If the timing was better then it would be a definite consideration. He has always spoke very highly of our program and wants to be a part of it in the future. With that said, hopefully NCSU can hire a coach to where they can win on a consistent basis and ultimately don't need Cowher.

I agree with getting rid of the MVP label to the award. If it truly means most VALUABLE player, then, as I've said before, it would be Jason Veritek this year. It's not coincidence that when he got hurt is when the Red Sox collapsed.

I agree with others above. Pujoles is an MVP and should have won it in the past instead of Bonds. I would have been happy if he won it this year over Howard. I'd argue that by him whining about it, it will cost him the MVP in the future.

BCS=$$$ enough said. And its not really that unfair that ND gets the money from a BCS bid. They aren't in a conference and don't get a piece of the pie that all conference teams get. (Is it only the BCS money that gets split or money from all the bowls?) How much money will teams like Northwestern and Ole Miss receive for being in the Big 10 and SEC which will each have 2 BCS bowl bids?

As of right now I'm tied between Pujoles and Strahan for the "Biggest Asshat Award".

Biggest misconception - ND does not, I repeat, DOES NOT get all the money for a BCS, they only get the proportionate amount that a conference team would get. They changed the rule several years ago...How is it all about the money - five bowls = ten teams...ND is #10...ergo ND plays in one of the bowls. Simple math here people.

G'Town DID lose to Oregon, who is always "decent" and currently undefeated.

UND has a clause saying that if they're in the top (8 or 9), they automatically get a BCS Bid. Couple that with the Top 14 thing, and yes- they're almost always in anyways.

Lastly,DAN, WTF?!! I don't get the Ohio State- UNC thing. If OSU is hungier and all of that Oden stuff, put them #1 WHEN THEY WIN. It doesn't make sense to have them better than UNC if they lose to them! I don't care about the future. When the future happens, worry about it then. The NCAA hoops season is long enough, there will be time to put OSU up where you think they'll be. But for the time being, when they lose, they drop.

Yeah, they changed that rule years ago... or after last year's game. And, if you notice, that is not like they're splitting the money amongst a confrence. Big 10 has to split things 11 ways. ND gets a third. Also, I think it's BS they get paid even if they don't make the bowl series.

Nooch I completly agree with you. Notre Dame as Played # teams currently ranked in the top 25 and is 1-2 against them. The schedule is littered with Cream Puffs and if it was not for the Name on the Jersey they would probably be ranked somewhere in the 15-20 range.

I looked at there next schedule and look out it is not easy, by November Notre Dame may not even be in the polls

Well since NBC/NCAA will ensure that Notre Dame gets into the top 10 before season is over to be BCS eligible, they will be in a BCS game. Not because they belong there, but because they have the biggest bandwagon in the nation and that means more money for the NCAA/network.

Oh and if GT loses again, they'll be out of the top 25. Meaning that ND will probably, yet again, be a top 10 team that hasn't beaten a ranked opponent.

ND is not hte only team that schedules easy teams - OSU schedule is not exactly against the best teams in the land - they had two hard games this year. They won them and thats why they are #1 but they didn't exactly have the hardest schedule in the world. Florida played a I-AA school not a month ago...quit bitching that ND doesnt play top ten teams every week because NO SCHOOL DOES.

Way to use the oldest trick in the blog world to spark a firestorm of comments and discussion: Just mention Notre Dame.

Damn people, every day we have to read this crap. We get it - alot of people hate ND and don't think they deserve a BCS bowl. The BCS sucks. We all agree on these things. Can we all agree to just disagree on ND.

At least can we wait until the bowls are officially announced or MORE IMPORTANTLY, until they are ACTUALLY played!!!

People shouldnt complain about Notre Dame getting an undeserved BCS Bowl bid...it is the easiest wager in sports. Bet against Notre Dame in the bowl game and you come out a big winner because they are so overrated. Dont get mad, take advantage of the situation.

All right, I'll finally weigh in on this ND matter. The fact is, the rules stipulate that they automatically get a birth based on their rankings. You can disagree with the rankings all you want, but because of the rankings, they are in.

I personally don't think they deserve to get in. They haven't have a quality win all year.

However, the BCS rules say they get in. Stop the whining people.

Pujols has completely ruined his image this offseason. The complaint about MVP is just icing on the cake.

Ohio State--they just lost so they can't be number one. I believe Dan is a big advocate of ranking teams base on RIGHT NOW and not based on inertia, so RIGHT NOW, without Oden, OSU is NOT #1. Simple logic folks.

With Cowher, well no shit he doesn't want the NCSt job. He just won the SB in Pittsburg. As crappy as this season is going for the Steelers, he's a god in the Steel City. He should stay as long as he can!

Wasn't Kevin Martin pretty decent towards the end of last season? I'd have to go with JR Smith as the most improved. Went from Byron Scott's doghouse last year getting no playing time to starting and averaging almost 20 a game.

It's going to take a lot more than Hideki Okajima to grease up Matsuzaka and Boras.

Let's not forget college basketball is NOT college football, so the rankings mean nothing. Ohio St did look good last night. If only ESPN would have scheduled more of their games instead of polluting the college basketball tv schedule with Duke. Anyway, UCLA should be 1 and Butler should be 2.

NDYanks, I don't care that ND is in a BCS bowl game. They should be, and they deserve the money and exposure because their offense is top 5 in FUN.

But as an emerging college football fan, it is UNBELIEVEABLE that they would be paired with a top 5 school when there are legitimate questions about who is the second best team in the nation.

If they win this weekend, Florida needs to play Michigan. Because they are ranked 3 and 4, and the fourth place team shouldn't get screwed out of the chance to advance in the rankings. If they could blow out Michigan (unlikely), they're probably ranked #2. They deserve that chance.

ND already got its shot at 2 of the best teams in the country. Shouldn't Boise St. get one chance before ND gets a third?

Notre Dame just needs to join the Big Ten, so that this whole debate can just end. With the one tough game out of conference (USC) that most teams try to play that would give ND 3-4 losses depending upon whether or not the Big 10 scheduled them with OSU, Michigan and Wisconsin. It sounds simple enough to me....too bad for their boosters who would never let this happen.

Saying that you played 7 bowl teams means jack shit. The big 12 has 9 bowl eligble teams. So obviously the Big 12 is the best conference. Being bowl eligble means nothing when half the Div 1 teams make bowls.

completely agree jon, and then the Big Ten can have a championship game, 2 divisions, and it would be perfect. But Notre Dame never will join the Big Ten because of money. They have a RICH TV contract with NBC and the Big Ten won't let them keep it. It's just wishful thinking.

jhawk ND can join whatever conference they want. BC, Miami and VT were all in the Big East too. Remember? And I am pretty sure that the Big 10 would make room for ND without much hesitation. They are a money maker and the conference would love that.

Like you said, yes they can join the Big 10, only after leaving the Big East. And after being raided, I'm not sure the Big East would make that easy (i.e cheap). So yeah, I should have said that they can't unless they leave the Big East. But Notre Dame Football (alone) would not be able to join the Big 10.

Using ND's schedule against them is a lame arguement. Every conference has 2-3 weak teams and 2-3 strong teams and the rest float in the middle. People point out UNC, Air Force, Navy, and Army and criticize the weak schedule. Look through every schedule in the country and you'll find that almost all of them have 3-4 crappy teams and 2-3 very good teams.

ND was given the chance to join the Big10 10-15 years ago...and refused, on the basis of lowering academics or some such rubbish.

However, I would think they'd be welcome to join nowadays (and leave the BigEast).

As for the patsies, if you have to play them (ie, conference) then there's no problem IMO. You cannot control your conference. It's when schools seek out these games (eg, a Nebraska dumping Houston for Maine), when teams should be rightly criticized for it.

ND is pretty happy in the Big East when it comes to other sports -- at least competitively -- and the B10 would never allow them to join just for football.

As far as the money goes, that's a big part of it. The university uses the football money to fund a lot of different things for the school. The money from NBC for example goes into the general student body's scholarship fund.

In regards to their schedule, would we be having this discussion if they were 12-0 instead and had beaten Michigan and USC? According to the NCAA this week, their schedule is somewhere around 24th while OSU's is about 40th, but since OSU won its two big games (Texas and Michigan) no one mentions the other lightweights on their schedule. Not a rip on OSU, mind you because they ran the table and are a great team, but I haven't heard much said by anybody about their sched.

BTW, I'm an ND fan and I don't think they should go to a BCS game just because they are ND. If the BCS polls put them in a position where they can go, that's one thing, but just on rep is another. I'd rather they go and play in a 2nd-tier bowl where they would have a better chance of winning and carrying that over to next year. The offense is great, the D is still too slow -- it's going to be another year or two before we can even think of saying they are an elite program again.

No way ND goes 10-2 next year. They'll lose a lot of their team, esp. Brady Quinn. Plus, you need to understand one thing, BC OWNS NOTRE DAME in football. BC has beaten them either 4 or 5 consecutive times. Remember when they were undefeated, and wore the green jerseys, then turned the ball over 6 times to BC? That was hilarious. Notre Dame Sucks!

Also, Jared Dudley is a total stud, and just has some ridiculous games. I was at BC when he single-handedly beat Villanova during BC's last year in the Big East. That might have been the most dominating CBB performance I've seen live. Well... either that or any game I saw Okafor destroy us over...

Sheldiz - If you liked the backcourt of Foye, Lowry and Ray, wait til you get to experience the 2 Coreys (Fisher and Stokes) and Grant with Reynolds. Jay Wright has done an excellent job at keeping that program going.

The coolest box score in all of last year's baseball season came from a Texas Rangers game against the Orioles when the Rangers brought in Bryan Corey, followed by Scott Feldman. So the box score read under pitchers:

Wow, jhawkjjm, this is the second time I nominate you for stupidest fucking post of the day award, this time for telling us that Notre Dame "can't" join the Big 10 because it already plays Big East basketball. Maybe ND can give BC, VT and Miami a call and see how it's done. Something tells me the Big East are not going to miss Irish basketball.

Lenny said:"Little addition...Did anyone else go to the link for the First Quickie Ever and notice on the side that Dan predicted that Chris Leak would win at least one national title? I sure did. Nice one Dan!!"

OMG, and he was so far off too, considering that in Leak's senior season, he lost a whole whopping game, and is a UCLA win over USC away from a monumental debate over whether or not Florida will play for a national title! Geez, what a moron!

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.